About Fannys Bay Distillery

Since 2014

Our Story

Tasmania is well known for its whisky. Indeed, liquid gold from here has been named the world’s finest and more than 50 distilleries dot the island. There’s one though, that is not like the rest. Some would say, it’s a square peg on a shelf of shiny round bottles. But that’s the Fannys Bay way.

Founders Mathew and Julie Cooper are no ordinary distillers. What business does a diesel mechanic and career hairdresser have in making whisky? Turns out, they have award-worthy business. It was time for a career re-fit. Following a sea change to the northern Tasmanian seaside, Mathew was enjoying a whisky with friends and quipped, “how hard could it be to make a good whisky?”

Whisky making to Mathew was about as familiar as the nearby coastline was to the captain of Fanny, a small sailing ship that blew onto rocks in 1844. A secluded cove nearby was named after the doomed vessel and is a fitting namesake for a distillery that has weathered unchartered waters.

No one had ever set up a distillery on Tasmania’s wind-swept northern coast. That didn’t deter the Coopers. A gleaming new still was un-affordable. That didn’t stop them either. Mathew made the pilgrimage from his Tam O’Shanter back door to his Man Cave shed, several windswept metres, until he’d built his own still. In between, he surfed the waves of Tama point, as he did when he was a boy. Distilling commenced, with the first barrels put down in 2014.

That square peg on a shelf of round bottles … that’s about Fannys Bay Distillery not quite fitting. A bit like a city tree changer landing in a new Tassie town, a craft beer lover turning their taste to whisky the first time or a non-conformer heading to uni at 60. At Fannys Bay, it doesn’t matter if you’re different. You’re welcome. In fact, you’re warmly embraced at this small-scale, artisanal distillery.

In these parts, don’t expect a tour though. There’s no big fancy distillery or high-tech automation buttons. There’s one man, driving a still by hand. With meticulous passion to honest distilling. That same man tweaks temps based on the weather and hand-chars every barrel; from French Oak to ex-bourbon. His time-honoured way follows the traditional Scottish method. Then comes the Tasmanian touch; the pristine rainwater, infused with nature’s perfect dose of sea spray. Years on, the whisky is ready for chief designer Julie to handwrite each label. She’s responsible for the distinctive French bottle in all its square glory. And, it’s fine cork hailing from Portugal.

Good things take time. The result is a smooth, mature, full palate with a refreshing hint of northern coastal waters to be savoured slowly. Little wonder this scarce drop has found its way into VIP casino lounges and world-class resorts. Few might have heard about Fannys Bay Distillery, but those in the know are swept away by its rare flavour profile and hand-crafted, seaside tale. The saliferous undertones may shift with the seasons – no bottle is the same as the next. But isn’t that how a square peg forever is? Not the same as the rest? Fannys Bay will never fit in a round bottle.

Written by Alice Hansen, Tailored Tasmania

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